By Valeria Benitez
In an effort to fully embrace the fall season, my friends Kate, Evvie, and I decided to venture to Netherworld’s haunted mansions in Stone Mountain. The day had originally begun with plans to satisfy our cravings for Korean barbecue, but that quickly changed when Evvie chatted us, suggesting we hit up Netherworld instead. I jumped at the idea—I love a good thrill—but Kate was a bit hesitant. She’s never been a fan of anything too spooky. We assured Kate that it wouldn’t be that scary, so she finally decided to agree and go with us.
I picked up Evvie around 5 PM, and by 5:30, we were on our way to grab Kate. With our haunted house tickets booked for 8 PM, we had some time to kill. We decided to stick with our original plan and headed to Iron Age Korean BBQ. For just $29, it was all-you-can-eat, and we kicked things off with steak bulgogi—a sweet, savory Korean steak—and a marinated beef dish. The sizzling meat on the grill in front of us, paired with the appropriately named “yum yum sauce,” was pure perfection.
As we sat there, cooking round after round of meat—because, yes, we went for three courses—it was impossible to ignore the excitement building. We knew that in just a couple of hours, we’d be trading the warmth of the barbecue for the chills of Netherworld. By the time we wrapped up dinner, it was close to 7 PM, and we still needed to pick up my sister and her friend, who’d decided at the last minute to join the fun.
We hopped in the car, put on our fall playlist, and started the 40-minute drive to Netherworld. When I say “fall songs,” I mean the slow, moody tracks that just feel like autumn. Ribs, Sailor Song, Close to You, Tumblr Girls, and We Fell in Love in October were on repeat. If you’re looking to get into the fall spirit, those songs are a must. Before we knew it, we’d arrived at Netherworld, and things took an eerie turn the moment we stepped out of the car.
We weren’t even through the entrance when an actor slid across the floor, screaming at us. Kate—who had already been on edge—was not amused. This wasn’t really her scene, and I could tell she was starting to have second thoughts. We had a little time to kill (no pun intended) before our 8 PM ticket slot, so we wandered around, while Kate nervously eyed the warning signs: “jump scares” and “flashing lights.” She asked about the bathroom, and we found that, of course, the only option was a porta-potty.
Finally, they called the 8 o’clock group. A cold breeze swept through as we lined up outside the entrance to the first haunted house, “Wake the Dead.” I’ll admit, as much as I love spooky things, I was starting to feel a little anxious. But I kept telling myself, “It’s just actors, it’s not real.” Kate, on the other hand, was pale. She’d been convincing herself the whole time that it wouldn’t be that scary, but now that we were at the front of the line, I could tell she was having second thoughts. As we stepped inside, the ground began to shake and the walls spun, making it feel like the room was collapsing in on us. Disoriented and already a little dizzy, we stumbled into a dark room filled with creepy dolls, and from that moment on, the scares came non-stop.
One of the first jump scares came from an actor dressed as a creepy, life-sized doll who jumped out of the shadows just as we were regaining our balance from the spinning hallway. Kate let out a shriek, which made the rest of us laugh—nervously, of course. The house was much longer than we anticipated, with room after room filled with elaborate, spine-chilling sets, each one more unsettling than the last. By the time we made it out—20 minutes later—we were all a little breathless and relieved.
The exit led us into a lively outdoor fall festival. The warm glow of string lights, the smell of funnel cakes, and the sight of pumpkins everywhere felt like the perfect reward after surviving Wake the Dead. Food trucks lined the perimeter, offering everything from hot apple cider to donuts topped with sugary cereals. There were also fun fall games like apple bobbing and pumpkin carving. Actors dressed in elaborate costumes wandered the grounds, available for photos with anyone brave enough to approach them.
As we wandered the festival, Kate suddenly admitted, “That wasn’t as bad as I thought.” She had gone from terrified to amused in a matter of minutes, and we all had a good laugh reminiscing about the best scares from the house. Just as we were starting to think about heading home, we learned that there was another haunted house—this one called “Mr. Grendel”—and it was clown-themed. Now, I don’t know about you, but clowns have always freaked me out, so I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea. But Kate, now full of confidence, insisted we go.
The Mr. Grendel haunted house was definitely creepier than the first, largely because part of it took place outside, in a cold, foggy maze. The air itself seemed to add to the tension, giving us goosebumps as we wandered through the narrow, winding paths. The actors in this house were dressed in brightly colored clown costumes, but their grins were anything but cheerful. To top it off, several of them wielded fake chainsaws, revving them up as they chased after us. It was unnerving, to say the least.
By the end of the night, we were all exhausted, cold, and ready for something sweet. We stopped by one of the food trucks and treated ourselves to powdered donuts—along with a more adventurous option: donuts topped with Fruity Pebbles. The warm, sugary treats were the perfect end to a thrilling (and slightly terrifying) night.
Looking back, we all agreed that Wake the Dead had been scarier, but Mr. Grendel had its own uniquely eerie vibe, especially with the outdoor maze. Kate, who had started the night as the most reluctant of us all, was now the one who couldn’t stop talking about how much fun she’d had. And as we drove home, fall songs playing softly in the background, I couldn’t help but think about how much better spontaneous plans turn out to be—especially when they involve good friends, haunted houses, and powdered donuts.A BBQ Adventure Gone Horribly Haunted
